SARYA DENİZ

News Center- The Turkish education system has recently faced many problems. In addition to the deep poverty faced by children in the country, schools are defined as centers based on standardization, gender inequality and discrimination.

Several days ago, the Peoples' Equality and Democracy Party (DEM Party) held a conference to discuss the Turkish education system with the participation of education experts. NuJINHA spoke to Emine Akyazılı, member of the DEM Party Education Commission, about the Turkish education system based on standardization, gender inequality and discrimination.

 ‘The monist policies continue in the education system’

The observation saying, “Assimilationist education rejecting different identities and cultures has become the fundamental policy”, shows what the AKP government and its partners have recently created in the education system. “Assimilationist policies are policies that have been produced since the foundation of the Republic of Türkiye,” said Emine Akyazılı. “Since then, governments have always followed assimilationist policies; they have produced more oppressive policies when necessary. Since its foundation, educational programs and hidden curricula have been implemented in the country to form and strengthen the Turkish and Islamic identity, ignoring and marginalizing other ethnic and religious identities.

“Today, the monist policies of the ‘one-man regime’ continue. Türkiye has been experiencing its most oppressive period in history. There are efforts to rebuild the educational system based Islamic norms.”

‘The ruling party uses all the tools for its goals’

The ruling party aims to build a society according to its political and ideological goals through education, Emine Akyazılı emphasized, adding: “It uses all the tools for its goals. The militarist, monist and sexist policies of the government aim to build a society based on its own political and ideological goals. The aim is to raise individuals who do not ask questions, do not criticize, only obey through projects and protocols made with various foundations, associations and sects.”

No education without the mother tongue

The Kurdish people and other nationalities and ethnic groups living in Türkiye are prohibited from demanding education in their mother tongue, Emine Akyazılı said. “In education, there is discrimination based on ethnic identity. The first issue on the agenda is education in the mother tongue. In order to talk about the right to education, all different identities in the country should be included in education. Everyone has the right to receive education in their mother tongue.”

 

In 2012, when Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was the prime minister in the country, he said, “We want to raise a religious generation.” In May 2024, the Turkish Ministry of Education approved the draft of “The Century of Türkiye Education Model (Türkish: Türkiye Yüzyılı Maarif Modeli)” focusing on religious and national values. “The ruling party aims to raise a religious generation but it cannot. Such practices just alienate young people from religion,” Emine Akyazılı told us.

‘An inclusive education system must be built’

“Change takes time,” Emine Akyazılı underlined. “Change is possible through an education system based on equality, democracy and freedom. Efforts should be made to ensure gender equality in education. Feminist perspective should prevail at every stage of education and the curriculum that reinforces gender roles should be changed.

“An inclusive education system must be built for women, LGBTI+ individuals and children.”